The Toy Soldiers (R)

synopsis

On one evening in a decade of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, the innocence of youth and family unravels. Five parallel coming-of-age stories dramatize the stages of grief. A youthful mother in a custody battle over her children finds tranquility with the bottle. The abuse of her ex-husband still haunts the children: a nineteen-year-old drug addict and his younger brother, a bullied closet homosexual. There's the story of the dog: a teen who offers sexual favors to gain acceptance, the challenged classmate who would do anything for her love, and the redhead beauty, haunted by a secret, tragic past. These lives and others will change forever on this final evening before their hangout, The Toy Soldiers Roller Rink, closes its doors for the final time.